What Is It Like For A Couple Joining A Camping Expedition with TDA Global Cycling?

“I’m a big believer in the separate tents” – Toni-Anne from Canada

“You have to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses” – Janet from New Zealand

My partner Bonny and I have travelled extensively over the course of our 17 years together – both with TDA and on our own, and both on rugged camping expeditions and more comfortable hotel-based cycling trips.

I arrived in Cartagena and camped with the group for the first week solo while Bonny (a teacher) finished her school year and joined the group when we reached Medellin – about 10 days into the trip. By that point I had settled into a somewhat logical system of organizing my gear in the tent and then packing it back into my duffel bag the next morning. My walking shoes and sandals had a particular spot in the duffel. The packing cubes, my sleeping bag, the tent all fit inside rather comfortably and I was well under our 23kg weight limit.

But when Bonny arrived, a great reshuffling ensued and we decided to use a tried and true approach that we have used on past trips – one of our daily bags became the ‘tent’ bag with our tent, sleeping bags, liners, and mattresses. The other was our clothing, toiletries and miscellaneous bag (Note: on TDA camping tours each participant has a daily bag and a ‘rest day’ bag – the rest day bag you only access on the rest days and it has excess clothes, spares, etc.). It took us a few days, but we got it working. We still have the odd evening where a shirt or a toothbrush or a headlamp goes missing, but it’s mostly all there.

>>Related Post: Packing For A TDA Tour – Everything You Need To Know

While on the bike, Bonny and I like to cycle together and experience the sights and sounds – sharing these unforgettable moments seems to make it more special and meaningful for us. We ride at a similar speed and wait for each other at the tops of climbs or when one is lagging behind. We both carry our own water, money and navigation devices and make sure to be mostly self-contained and able to get to where we are going on our own, if needed. I spoke with two other couples on the tour to hear about how they find success on these tours and what their strategy is for riding and camping.

Jim & Toni-Anne – An independent-minded couple

Jim and Toni-Anne are a TDA love story. They met on the ill-fated 2020 Tour d’Afrique that was cut short by COVID in Tanzania and have done several tours together since. Having met on tour, they made a decision at the outset not to share tents but share a room on the rest days. This allows them to have their own independent experiences and not be reliant on the other. While discussing separate tents, Toni-Anne felt that, “you need your own space and that way you stay responsible for your own things…I’m very organized, he’s a scrambler.” Jim also shared that, “We also don’t ride together…she likes to stop more.” They like to ride at their own pace and then meet at camp to share the evening together, but they also make a point to interact with the group. Toni-Anne remarked, “I think socially… you could miss out on the connections you make with the other people” while Jim added, “As a couple you really have to focus on interacting with the rest of the group.”

Janet & Oliver – Experiencing their first TDA tour together

Janet and Ollie from New Zealand are active people who’ve been thrilled every time we encounter some rough gravel roads. They have never been on a long camping expedition like this before, so unlike Jim and Toni-Anne, they were stepping into more uncharted territory. “You have to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” Janet shared. She is a stronger climber but Ollie is faster on the descents so they ride at their pace in the more hilly terrain and but otherwise ride together. Ollie added that, “you learn to recognize when your partner is struggling physically or emotionally and you try to support each other.” “And lots of stops for ice cream and cold drinks!” Janet added.

Do you have tips on cycling or camping with your significant other? Do you ride together? Do you have separate tents? What is the best thing about traveling as a couple? I only touched the surface of this topic, so please share your tips and advice in the comments below.

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